Welcome from the Director

newsletter mAY 2014

In thIs Issue:

Welcome from the Director

New waiata for the Centre

Maata Wharehoka

Marae visit

Profile: Professor Ed Garcia

U3A Programme

PhD completions

New publications launched

Student profiles

2013 prizewinners

Forecasting to prevent mass atrocity

Confessions of a Terrorist published

Moves on mediation

GFCT internship funding

Uppsala connection

Recent publications

Profile: Dr SungYong Lee

The National Centre for Peace and Conflict

Studies is celebrating five and a half years as New

Zealand’s only postgraduate centre for research,

teaching and practice in peace and conflict studies.

In February we welcomed our newest

faculty member, Dr SungYong Lee, from the

University of Coventry’s Centre for Peace and

Reconciliation Studies. SungYong gained his

Ph.D at the University of St Andrews and is

working on local level, grassroots peacebuilding

processes in South East Asia. It has been a

privilege to host Professor Ed Garcia, from

Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines,

and our Maori Practice Fellow, Maata

Wharehoka from Parihaka in Taranaki. Both Ed

and Maata have participated in our new Public

Conversations series, along with Marian Hobbs,

former Labour Party MP and peace activist.

After four years, the Post Graduate Diploma

of Arts (Peace and Conflict Studies) has been

replaced by an intensive one year coursework

Master of Peace and Conflict Studies. This

new MPCS will enable students to work in a

range of governmental, inter-governmental and

non-governmental organisations, and set the

foundation for a Ph.D and an academic career.

Our inaugural MPCS class comes from a range

of ethnic, cultural, religious and vocational

backgrounds. We will welcome more students to

the class in the second semester.

Recently, I have been working with the Toda

Institute for Global Peace and Policy on the

facilitation of a number of interactive problem

solving workshops aimed at breaking the

impasses to stable peaceful relationships between

China, Japan and Korea. These workshops bring

together important “political influentials” from

all three countries. We have conducted one

workshop in Bangkok and a second in Seoul;

a third in Beijing is scheduled for November.

These workshops have enabled all participants

to develop a deeper appreciation of the historical

and immediate sources of antagonism and

hostility between all three capitals.

I think that our original donors would be well

pleased with our progress. With the support of

the university and many generous benefactors

we are developing a very distinctive critical niche

for ourselves within the New Zealand academy

and in the wider community. I look forward to

working with you all on the consolidation and

expansion of the centre over the next few years.

Me rongo

Kevin

National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies

Dr Chin-Kuei Tsui, our first PhD to cross the stage, with fellow graduands and faculty on 17 May.

2

Maukaroko ki te whenuaVerseMaukaroko ki te whenua

Whakaaro pai ki te tangata katoa

Arohanui ki te aoraki

Koa koa koa ki te aoraki

ChorusPono whakapono ki te ao nei

Ko Rongo No Rongo Na Rongo

Me Rongo (me rongo)

Me Rongo (me rongo)

Me Rongo (me rongo)

TranslationPeace to the land

Be thoughtful to all

Great love to the universe

Joy, joy, joy to the universe

Truth, truth to the world

It is Rongo, from Rongo, by Rongo

Peace, Peace, Peace

The atua (the nearest word for this in English is God) Rongo has many references in Mäori culture. He is responsible for cultivated food, the meeting house, peace and harmony.

Maata WharehokaIt has been a great pleasure having Maata Wharehoka as part of the

Centre from April until early June.

Maata is a tikanga Mäori advocate from Parihaka in Taranaki. In her

own words:

I am a M-aori woman with an intense desire to heal our M-aori people. I want to share the legacy of Papatuanuku, to heal our children, to heal our men who are suffering from the impact of colonisation. My heart is so big I want to help Pakeha reconcile with M-aori. I want to ensure there is no blame and shame – to heal we must relinquish that behaviour. I am working with Pakeha people who will be vital in the future of M-aori. I am convinced my placement at Parihaka was not by accident; there are those out there who have a close eye on me, monitoring and keeping me true.

For Parihaka I want to see peace and harmony, the unification of all marae. I want to know, before I die that my work has been valued. I am an avid follower of Te Whiti o Rongomai and respect the close relationship with his Uncle Tohu Kakahi.

Having worked as a Registered Nurse from 1969 until 1995, it was time to move into creative developmental work that would change the way we as M-aori approach the Treaty of Waitangi and Biculturalism in Aotearoa. The pathway has been guided by the spirit of my ancestors, I have no control of where I shall be today or tomorrow. When I am called, then that is where I should be. I want to be that point of difference.

As part of her visit Maata has drafted Project Maukarako, a strategy to

embed tikanga Mäori in the life of the centre. This document builds

upon the work and recommendations of Dr Jenny Te Paa-Daniel who

was visiting Mäori Fellow with the centre in 2013.

Maata has shared her work at Parihaka in many ways, including through

a screening of TATARAKIHI ‘Children of Parihaka’, a film for which she

holds the kaitiakitanga (guardianship). She has shared her aroha and

wisdom with the whole centre and the wider university community.

With patience and good humour, she has encouraged the use of te reo

Mäori in our daily communications. She has been instrumental in the

creation of our own beautiful waiata, Maukaroko ki te whenua, writing

the words which were set to music by Michelle Jackson.

He maru ahiahi kei muri te maru awatea, he paki arohirohi kei mua.

After the shades of darkness comes the dusk of dawn, whilst before lies

the shimmering glory of a fair day.

Puketeraki Marae visitOn Friday 4 April, students and staff from the centre

spent the day at Puketeraki Marae in Karitane. The

annual marae visit is an opportunity to explore and

discuss the Centre’s engagement with tikanga Mäori,

and this year we were lucky to have Maata Wharehoka

to lead discussion and take the role of kaikorero for the

formal welcome on to the marae.

Postgraduate students from the Tourism Department

joined us, as did the family of SungYong Lee, the

Centre’s newest member of faculty, and Professor Ed

Garcia and his wife, Teresita who were visiting the

Centre for six weeks. All enjoyed the experience of the

formal welcome or powhiri, the wonderful hospitality

of the marae and the chance to learn more about

tikanga Mäori and te reo.

Masters students Griffin Leonard, Joe Llewellyn and Daniel Benson-Guiu at Puketeraki Marae.

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Rediscovering A Community of Constant LearningThe NCPACS six week-fellowship was an intense period comprised

of three strands: sharing lessons drawn from diverse conflict

situations with university students and the public at large; acquiring

new learning from the questions posed by post-graduate students

engaged in research or planning their practicum, and engaging in

animated exchange with the faculty and staff of the centre as well

as their varied guests and lecturers from different disciplines who

visited the university.

Conversation With KevinIt all began with a conversation with Kevin Clements, peace advocate,

scholar and Director of the centre, who suggested that time spent

at the University of Otago can provide the space for re-charging

one’s energies, re-imagining the next phase of one’s journey, and

undertaking that transition from the period we normally call “age-

ing” to a process that we could define as “sage-ing”. (In fact, during

the latter half of my stint in Dunedin, Kevin arranged an hour-long

TV interview reflecting on my experiences as a peacemaker, a human

rights advocate and a non-violent activist.)

The place to start was the classroom, team-teaching a group of

masters students with a colleague SungYong Lee who had done

field work with local communities in Cambodia. Entitled “Waging

Peace: Peace Practitioner’s Perspective,” the sessions highlighted three

relevant themes supported by brief case studies: “Meterle pueblo al

proceso” or put people at the heart of the process; underscore the

importance of human rights and humanitarian principles in the

work to sustain peace; and recognise that peacemaking requires a

marathon mentality.

Sharing Experiences with University ConstituentsOne of the public lectures I was asked to deliver dealt with the

“Promise and Perils of People’s Power from 1986 Philippines to 2014

Ukraine” – a theme that was discussed as events were then unfolding

in the streets of Kiev and in Crimea which was eventually annexed by

Russia; the other, co-sponsored by the Department of Theology and

Public Issues dealt with “The Role of Religious Leaders in Building

Peace.” Taking off from the experiences of Nigeria, Burundi and

Mindanao in the Philippines, the idea of guidelines for religious

leaders building peace was explored relying on four pillars: faith-

based, principled, process-related and people-related.

An added challenge was the sessions dealing with the process of

selecting an organisation located in a particular area to put into

practice theory and skills learned in the classroom. Since the

Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation

Front had just signed a peace agreement, a suggestion was made

to get in touch with the Gaston Z Oritgas Peace Institute in the

Philippines and request placement with a local partner in Mindanao.

The other possibility was work in Fiji with the local partners of

Conciliation Resources whose representative Nicolas Tillon came to

Dunedin to lead a roundtable on Fiji.

Exchanging Insights and Current Concerns at the CentreAnother feature of the centre which leads me to define it as a

community of constant learning is the regular practice of the

Thursday poster presentation where one member of the centre makes

a presentation about their current concerns such as peace education,

or, the problem solving workshops that deal with thought-leaders

from China, Japan and Korea – a collaborative undertaking led

by Kevin.

Two other singular achievements are worth noting: Richard Jackson’s

publication of a novel aptly-entitled, “Confessions of a Terrorist”

to be launched in May and the appearance of a unique journal,

Amity, dedicated to the field of friendship studies – a dimension of

peacebuilding that may seems so self-evident but it is rare to find

scholarly references to the politics of friendship.

Moreover, I was privileged to share a room with a Mäori colleague,

Maata Wharehoka. The Marae visit conducted by the centre was a

special experience that allowed learning about the Mäori practices

of welcome and greetings, song and sharing of the meals, and the

farewell exchanges.

Two other experiences worth noting: the process of declaring the

centre a Zone of Peace (Taunga o Rongo), which is work in progress,

and which could evolve in collaboration with other institutions or

houses in the area so as to eventually declare Castle Street a Peace

Street; the other, the centre’s consensus to send a Peace Citation to

the Negotiating Panels of the Philippine Government and the MILF

in recognition of their arduous efforts to forge an accord whose time

had come.

I was also privileged to address the formal dinner at Selwyn College,

where my wife and I were accommodated, and to invite successive

generations to join the endeavour to declare Selwyn College as a zone

of peace.

I must add that this stint at the centre enabled me to work jointly

with my wife, Teresita, who offered her suggestions and made critical

observations about the presentations made. She likewise made

available her artistic skills to help draw diagrams and to design the

acetate outlines to ensure that the sessions were more audience-

friendly. All in all, the journey to Dunedin was a rediscovery of

shared learning.

Ed Garcia, April 2014

Profile: Professor Ed GarciaNational Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS)

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4

First PhD completionsIn the last six months, the

first four PhD students

from the Centre have

successfully completed

their theses.

Holly Guthrey’s thesis

“How does truth-telling

heal? An exploration of

voice and pathways toward

victim healing in Solomon

Islands and Timor Leste”

was supervised by Dr

Karen Brouneus (while

teaching at NCPACS)

and Dr Heather Devere

(NCPACS). Holly is currently guest researcher at the Department of

Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Elvira Bobekova is a Research Associate at the University of

Auckland. Her thesis was entitled “Rivers of peace: Third party

conflict management of transboundary river disputes” and was

supervised by Professor Kevin Clements (NCPACS) and Dr Isak

Svensson (Uppsala).

Ellen Furnari researched “Understanding effectiveness in

peacekeeping operations: Exploring the perspectives of frontline

peacekeepers”, supervised by Professor Kevin Clements and Dr

Heather Devere (both NCPACS).

Chin-Kuei Tsui was most recently awarded his PhD, with his

research topic “Tracing the discursive origins of the War on Terror:

President Clinton and the construction of the New Terrorism

in the post-Cold War era”. Chin-Kuei began his doctoral study

at Aberystwyth University with Professor Richard Jackson, and

transferred to Otago when Richard took up his position with the

NCPACS. He was also supervised by Professor Kevin Clements.

All theses are available online through the University of Otago

library website http://otago.ourarchive.ac.nz/

Congratulations to all these students.

A combined launch for AMITY: The Journal of Friendship Studies, co-edited by Dr Heather Devere, and New Zealand: Country of Peace by Margaret Bell Thompson was held on 10 April. Over 50 people attended to celebrate these two publications.

AMITY: The Journal of Friendship Studies is an online journal exploring ‘friendship’ as a site of study empirically, analytically and morally. The revival of this area of study over the last twenty five years has seen scholars return to a tradition both wide and deep which views friendship as the investigation and theorization of horizontal ties of affinity, concern, and action. This renewed interest in friendship is being used to inform and moderate current ideas about the state as power and politics as hierarchy. Moreover, it is developing across a variety of disciplines, from politics to literature, from linguistics to sociology, from religion to psychology, and from philosophy to cultural studies.

The journal, which has been co-edited by Dr Heather Devere (NCPACS) and Dr Graham M. Smith (Leeds) has been published online out of the University of Leeds and can be accessed at the following link http://amityjournal.leeds.ac.uk/.

New Zealand: Country of Peace by Margaret Bell Thomson is a celebration of sites of peace in Aotearoa New Zealand. Margaret has documented in photos and text the peace memorials around New Zealand, from the Rainbow Warrior memorial in Northland to our own National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Dunedin, from Pihoka the Western Touchstone in Hokitika to Memorial Walls in Gisborne. Copies of the book are available through Margaret Bell Thomson, and NCPACS will be happy to pass on any enquiries that are received.

Students present at U3A In March and April, nine PhD students from the centre designed

and presented a six-lecture series for the Dunedin U3A (University

of the Third Age) group. The programme, which is outlined below,

was received enthusiastically by the U3A audience.

John Gray: ‘The Balkan Wars: From Conflict to Peace?’A history of the conflicts that have occurred during the last two

decades, and an examination of the post-Dayton peacebuilding

efforts, as well as events that followed the NATO intervention in 1999.

Prakash Bhattaraj and Monica Carrer: ‘An Introduction to Conflict and Political Violence in South Asia’An exploration of how conflict and political violence have

characterized the contemporary history of India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh and Nepal.

Rula Talahma and Liesel Mitchell: ‘Conflict in the Middle East from Two Perspectives: Media Framing and Resistance’A broad historic overview of resistance in the Arab World, with

an accompanying focus on framing contemporary nonviolent

resistance in Palestine.

Heather Kertyzia: ‘Peace Education: A Proposal for the World´s Schools’We live in a rapidly changing world and yet we rely on an

educational system designed centuries ago. Recognizing we can’t

predict the future, what changes to education for our youth will

prepare them for this unknown future? Peace education provides a

possible answer.

Ria Shibata and Ajirapa Piekhuntod: ‘National Identity and Conflicts in Asia’Exploring how national identity contributes to conflict in two

regions of Asia.

Patrick Mbugua: ‘Transitions from Civil War to Peace: Lessons from Africa’An introduction for learners to the central issues in post-conflict

peacebuilding in Africa, situating these issues within the broader

post-conflict theories and practices.

Professor Kevin Clements, Professor Richard Jackson, Dr Heather

Devere and Dr SungYong Lee will present a further four-lecture

course for U3A Alexandra in May.

Professor Kevin Clements

Journal and peace book launched

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As new students begin their PhD study with the Centre, others are in the final stages. Prakash Bhattarai began his study in March 2011 and Patrick Mbugua arrived a year later in March 2012.What is your research topic?Prakash: My PhD research focuses on assessing the dynamics of third-

party coordination in armed conflicts and peace processes, and I do

that by bringing together the voices of third-party practitioners and

other relevant stakeholders in the Maoist armed conflict of Nepal and

the Moro conflict of the Philippines. Specifically, my research aims

to explore a) conditions for third-party coordination; b) degree of

influence of relationship dynamics and power status of third parties

on the occurrence of coordination; and c) effectiveness of third-party

coordination in conflict resolution efforts.

Patrick: My research topic is Discourse Transformation in Peace

Processes: Revisiting Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Agreement. I became

interested in the subject of peace processes, peacebuilding and the social

construction of violent conflicts while working at the African Centre

for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban,

South Africa. Working in diverse programmes on conflict resolution

and international peace interventions in Africa inspired me to study the

linkage between the social construction of reality, eruption of violent

conflicts, and post-agreement peacebuilding.

Why did you choose to study in Dunedin?Prakash: I chose Otago, and particularly NCPACS, because of a great

academic environment it provides to the PhD students. It is small but

very vibrant and diverse with the presence of significant number of

PhD students from different part of the world. I have also found some

excellent PhD supervisors here at NCPACS who provide high quality

feedback on PhD research projects.

Patrick: I chose to study at the University of Otago because it is

an excellent educational institution, which fosters and reinforces

commitment, enthusiasm, and diligence. The NCPACS’s superb staff who

willingly let me climb on their broad academic shoulders also motivated

me. Having been at the Centre for more than two years, I have no

doubts whatsoever that it is not just a very rich, diverse and stimulating

environment, but it has enabled me to make ‘an epistemological turn’.

What do you hope to do following your PhD completion and how do you think this study will contribute to that goal?Prakash: I am in the process of establishing a policy research and

advocacy centre back home in Nepal, which primarily aims to address

peace, development, and governance related issues in Nepal and broadly

in South Asia region. PhD study here at Otago has sharpened my

research, analysis, and critical thinking abilities, which I truly hope to be

highly relevant for my future works in the field of research and advocacy.

Patrick: I am very confident that I will utilise the skills and experience

that I have gained in peace and conflict work – both practice and

academic – in Africa where I hope to return after my study.

2013 NCPACS Prize WinnersBest poster: John Gray

Best PEAC490 Dissertation: Stacey Hitchcock and Andrew Kwiatkowski

Citizenship Prize: Ria Shibata

Creative Nonviolence Prize: Rosemary McBryde

Three new PhD studentsThis semester, the Centre has welcomed three new students

from around the globe.

Mahdis Azarmandi is from Germany/Iran. Her research

focuses on racism and anti-racism in Spain analyzing the

constructions of race and whiteness within anti-racist

organizations from a critical race theory and decolonial

perspective. The thesis aims to critically assess how

the understanding of race impacts on the anti-racism

strategies chosen. The research looks at the organizational

development and success of anti-racism strategies by

assessing the success which campaigns have when based on

ideas of tolerance and colour-blindness vis-a-vis privilege-

aware and anti-oppressive approaches.

“The experience at NCPACS so far has been very inspiring.

Working in such a diverse environment with incredibly

intelligent and wonderful people has been a good start to

my PhD,” said Mahdis. “Being able to work with Maata

Wharahoka and learning more about Parihaka has been one

of my personal highlights so far.”

Babu Ayindo holds a Bachelor of Education degree from

Kenyatta University (Nairobi, Kenya) and M.A in Conflict

Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University

(Virginia, USA). His research focuses on comparative arts

approaches to conflict transformation. Other research

interests include pedagogy in peace education, community

based trauma healing, and the role and function of

storytellers – like Ayi Kwei Armah, Nuruddin Farah, Ngugi

wa Thiong’o and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – in breaking

cycles of violence.

“I have experimented and written on “arts approaches

to peacebuilding” in diverse cultural contexts in Africa,

North America and Asia, “ said Babu. He hopes to forge

a connection with the Theatre Studies programme at the

University of Otago.

Daniel Fridberg is from Jerusalem, Israel. His research

focuses on socio-psychological processes involved in

political and personal transformation among militant

activists in protracted conflicts. Specifically, he examines the

case of ex-combatants, who became peace activists, in the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The experience at NCPACS so far has been excellent. The

interdisciplinary and international research environments,

as well as the devotion to peace of its staff and students

make the centre both inspiring and challenging,” he said.

6

Confessions of a Terrorist, a novel by

Professor Richard Jackson, published by

Zed Books, will be launched on 28 May. The

premise of this novel is quite simple: if you

sat down face-to-face with a terrorist, what

questions would you ask him or her? What

would you like to know about their life,

their upbringing, their reasons for taking

up armed struggle, their aims and goals,

their sense of morality, their feelings about

what they do? This question is important,

not least because terrorism seems to be

everywhere these days, and yet paradoxically,

we appear to know almost nothing about the

people who perpetrate it.

“If we don’t understand what really goes on

in the mind of terrorists, we will be forced

to simply try and imagine it. And thus far,

if novels, movies, television shows, and

media portrayals are anything to go by, we

imagine that terrorists are insane, fanatical,

psychologically damaged, cruel, immoral,

essentially ‘evil’, and most importantly, quite

inhuman,” said Professor Jackson.

“The problem with viewing terrorists

through this veil of ignorance, with trying

to understand them through the lens of

our usually frightened imagination, is

that ultimately we cannot help but turn

them into monsters and bogeymen. They

cease to be real people, human beings

with a history, a childhood, feelings, life

experiences, aspirations, values; instead

they are reduced to what they’ve done or

intended to do. I would argue that this is a

counter-productive and ultimately self-

defeating approach. It cannot work to end

or prevent further acts of terrorism; its only

certain result is to create more terrorists and

engender more violent retaliation.”

“As anthropologists tell us, I believe there is

kind of taboo against ‘talking to terrorists’

or trying to understand them at a human

level. The fear is that getting too close to a

terrorist may lead to some kind of infection

or contamination, and thus will the cancerous

evil of terrorism spread. This taboo is so

powerful and so prevalent that you will

almost never hear the real voice of a terrorist

in a public forum such as the media. They are

not allowed to speak for themselves.”

The novel allows the terrorist to speak

and have a real voice, uncensored and

unrestricted, honest and intimate. Professor

Jackson identifies that the danger of taking

this approach, as warned by the taboo, is that

in listening to the voice of the terrorist, we

will begin to comprehend their point of view.

“The key point is that understanding – or

even sympathising – with the goals of the

terrorist is not the same as condoning and

legitimising their violent actions. However,

without understanding the mind of the

terrorist in the first place, we are left with

nothing but our terrified imagination as the

foundation on which to construct a counter-

terrorism policy.”

The book is available on Amazon and other

internet sellers as a hardback and an eBook,

and available from bookshops in NZ from

28th May.

Forecasting to prevent mass atrocityResearchers from the Atrocity Forecasting Project, including Dr

Charles Butcher from NCPACS, argue that models for predicting

genocide and politicide could help prevent instances of mass

violence like that seen in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The forecasting model, which uses determining factors such as

political instability, state-led discrimination, infant mortality rates and

neighbouring state conflicts, places CAR at the top of its list of at-risk

states for genocide/politicide for the period 2011-2015. The forecasts

are based on data from years up to 2010, when the project began.

“Changes in the number of soldiers under arms, the presence

or absence of an election, and the introduction and removal of

peacekeeping forces are also factors in our model that place the CAR

at higher risk”, said Dr Butcher.

The aim of the project, which produces the longest-term predictions

of its kind, is to provide an early-warning short list of countries

most at risk of genocide, which will assist government and non-

government bodies in identifying potential mass atrocities while

providing enough time for these groups to put preventive measures

in place.

“One of our primary aims was to provide policy-makers with an early

warning system that complemented shorter term monitoring and

peacebuilding efforts. A key aspect of our model is that it identifies

states at risk of genocide over the next 5 years” said Dr Butcher.

“As far as we know, we are the only ones to rank the Central African

Republic as the most at-risk country, or even have it towards the top

at all.”

The Atrocity Forecasting Project has already gained the attention

of influential bodies, having given presentations on the forecasting

model to relevant policy groups in Washington DC, Berlin, Paris,

and Canberra, to a United Nations conference, and the International

Crisis Group.

The research, supported by AusAID’s Australian Responsibility to

Protect Fund, is described in detail here:

http://sydney.edu.au/arts/research/atrocity_forecasting/

Confessions of a Terrorist

7

Moves on mediationA Community Mediation Service in Dunedin developed by a group drawn from the

Centre, the university and the wider community is ready to provide a not-for-profit

mediation service. After wide consultation with community groups, and research

into different models of community mediation worldwide, the Dunedin service has

been developed with trained mediators offering people who wish to have a dispute

resolved the opportunity to talk through the issues. The aim is for the service to be

as accessible as possible, both in terms of location and people’s ability to pay

(www.dunedincommunitymediation.org.nz).

‘Community mediation can help to address problems before they become

unmanageable conflicts. It aims to deal constructively with the people involved

to find a solution that feels fair and shows respect’ says Dr Heather Devere who

initiated this development.

Dr Devere also initiated the setting up of a peer mediation service for students on

campus. Danny Fridberg, one of the Centre’s PhD candidates is leading this project

and is about to begin training student volunteers. For more than ten years, Danny

has been involved in teaching mediation and conflict resolution programmes and

has established such services in his home country of Israel.

New internship fundingA new donation from the Global Future Charitable Trust will allow New Zealand

students to travel overseas for internships and practicum opportunities.

Currently students enrolled in the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPCS)

choose from either a dissertation or practicum option. For some of the students,

the chance to work with an overseas peace and development agency or NGO is an

attractive part of the MPCS course, and an opportunity that will enhance their

ability to find work in the field once their study is complete. However the cost of

travel is a real barrier to taking up the opportunities that are available.

“This generous donation will allow some of our best and brightest students to

experience life out in field, and to work alongside experienced practitioners,” said

Centre Director, Professor Kevin Clements. “We are so grateful to the GFCT for

supporting New Zealand students with this new funding, in addition to the two

generous PhD scholarships each year.”

MPCS student Chloe Brown is the first recipient of a grant which will help fund

travel to Phnom Penh in June.

Recent publicationsClements, Kevin and Olivier Urbain, eds. 2013. Risk and Uncertainty: Understanding

and Dialogue in the 21st Century. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick.

Devere, Heather. 2014. “’Perpetual Peace and Friendship’ in International Treaties.”

Peace Studies Journal 7, no. 1: 38-45. Jackson, Richard, and Helen Dexter. 2014. “The Social Construction of Organised

Political Violence: An Analytical Framework.” Civil Wars 16, no. 1: 1-23.

Lee, SungYong. 2013. “Lost in Translation: the Problem of Self-Perception in Peace

Negotiation.” International Interactions 39, no. 2: 144-66.

Standish, Katerina. Forthcoming 2014. “Cultural Nonviolence: exploring the other

side of Galtung’s Violence Triangle.” Global Journal of Peace Research and Praxis.

http://www.partnershipsjournal.org/index.php/prp

Sutton, Jonathan, Charles Butcher and Isak Svensson. Forthcoming 2014.

“Explaining Political Jujitsu: Institution Building and the Outcomes of Severe

Violence against Unarmed Protestors.” Journal of Peace Research. Available at SSRN:

http://ssrn.com/abstract=2285248

Uppsala connectionRecent visitors from Uppsala University have continued to strengthen the link between the Department for Peace and Conflict Research in Sweden and the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, as part of the institutional collaboration sponsored by STINT (The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education).

In February Associate Professor Erika Forsberg and Stina Högbladh were in the Centre for a week, working with Dr Charles Butcher. While they were here, Erika gave a seminar on Gender Inequality and Armed Conflict, with a focus on Northeast India, where the huge variation in both gender inequality and levels of armed conflict at the subnational level provides a wealth of data for researchers interested in the links. Stina also gave a lecture on latest trends in global conflict with material drawn from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). Her own research interest is based around the Central African region.

Later in February, Uppsala PhD candidate Ralph Sundberg arrived in Dunedin for a two-month stay. His aim was to escape his normal environment to concentrate on manuscript writing for his dissertation. Ralph has a background in political psychology and his research focuses on why some people approve of violence and the types of violence that they find acceptable. In particular, he is investigating how tours of duty in Afghanistan affect attitudes of soldiers towards violence.

Our final Uppsala visitor, Desirée Nilsson, spent three weeks visiting the Centre during the month of April. During her stay Desirée gave a public lecture in which she discussed her work on civil society actors in peace accords, and presented an outline of a new research project focusing on the general patterns of whether and how civil society actors may influence the success or failure of the peace negotiations. Desirée participated in meetings regarding the STINT collaboration with Uppsala University and benefited from the Centre’s many activities such as the weekly research seminars and inspiring public conversations with Ed Garcia and Kevin Clements. In terms of research, Desirée has worked on a co-authored manuscript focusing on third party spoiler management in the peace processes in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In May, Dr Charles Butcher and PhD student Liesel Mitchell travelled to Uppsala as part of the STINT exchange.

Stina Högbladh and Associate Professor Erika Forsberg.

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Introducing Dr SungYong LeeWhat is your background prior to taking up this position at NCPACS?Most recently, I worked at Coventry

University, UK, as a lecturer/senior lecturer.

One of my responsibilities at Coventry was

developing and facilitating a new online

Masters course, designed for peacebuilding

professionals working in the field. It was

a real joy to interact with the people who were operating peacebuilding

programmes across the globe on a regular basis.

Another part of my career was participating in social development

programmes in war-affected or low-income countries. Since 2003, I have been

involved in training for unemployed youth (India 2003), education support

(India 2003, Cambodia 2007, 2009), micro-finance support to rural villagers

(Cambodia 2007), and post-conflict emergency relief (Afghanistan 2003),

where I observed and tackled various social issues related to post-conflict

redevelopment and poverty.

In terms of my research, I have participated in a number of collaborative

research projects as a researcher or research assistant in South Korea, Cambodia,

the US and the UK. My duties within these projects included analysing

qualitative and quantitative data sets, writing research reports and funding

applications, organising academic conferences, and training postgraduate

students. In addition, I am currently a managing editor for the Journal of Conflict

Transformation and Security, and I serve on the review panel of Peacebuilding.

What are your main research interests?In 2006 I decided to become a researcher in the field of peace and conflict

studies. While working in Cambodia, the devastating impact of armed

conflicts on a society and the efforts of various local actors to (re)build a

peaceful society convinced me to redirect my life path.

Since then, I have been examining peace negotiation and post-war

reconstruction processes in Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Angola, South

Sudan, and Southern Thailand. At the core of my current research are the roles

of psychological limitations of the actors in civil war peace negotiation and the

interaction between the international donor community and the indigenous

local population in post-conflict peacebuilding process.

What do you hope to contribute to NCPACS?As for my research activities, I would like to promote more research projects

that explore potential/evident contributions of local actors in peacebuilding

with geographic focus on Asia-Pacific (Southeast Asia, in particular).

In terms of teaching, I hope my previous experience that covers both

practical and academic dimensions of peacebuilding can help students who

want to combine their field experience with research. Moreover, I wish to

diversify the methods of learning at the centre. Although NCPACS’ learning

programmes are already highly effective and interactive, I think some methods

that I utilised before (e.g., online video lecture, group discussions via Skype,

internet-based research supervision, and inter-university seminar series)

might provide additional benefits to students.

How have you found your first few months in Dunedin?Let me quote my mother who visited Dunedin for a few weeks: “It is a real pity

that I have not known this lovely city over the previous 65 years!” Coming from

South Korea, a highly populated, success-oriented, urban society, they simply

loved the general atmosphere in Dunedin. And I can’t agree more. However,

there is one thing that I have but they don’t. It is the friendly community of

NCPACS people, which makes my life in this city richer and warmer.

Contact InformationNational Centre for Peace and Conflict StudiesUniversity of Otago518-520 Castle StP O Box 56Dunedin 9054Telephone: (+64) 3 479 4546Fax: (+64) 3 479 8084Email: peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nzWeb: www.otago.ac.nz/ncpacs

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Dr Chin-Kuei Tsui with his primary supervisor, Professor Richard Jackson, at the graduation celebrations on 17 May. Chin-Keui is the first PhD from the Centre to graduate in person. Chin-Kuei began his PhD study with Professor Jackson at Aberystwyth University and transferred to the University of Otago in 2012. His thesis researches and analyses more than 200 official texts written and spoken by key figures in the Clinton administration and illustrates how a counterterrorism ‘regime of truth’ was constructed and maintained through discursive practice during the Clinton presidency.

Graduation